Illinoisans awoke Tuesday to 150 new state laws on the books, including a ban on the sale or trade of shark fin, a new strip club surcharge and a number of less widely publicized laws -- such as ambulances no longer being required to pay tolls.

I never realized that Illinois had a problem with people harvesting shark fins.

The $3 skin tax for those going to adult clubs is another unfair tax on the middle class, including the employees that need the jobs.

Chicago has a long history of nailing criminals for tax violations when they cannot find evidence against them for other crimes (think Al Capone). Clearly, these two laws are meant to discourage the wearing of shark fins by strippers and penalize those who find this attractive. They are trying to stamp out a truly disturbing fetish, using the tax laws to accomplish what direct law enforcement cannot.

One of the dumbest new laws is the requirement to keep proof of purchase if you have 5 or more large plastic storage containers...

Well, of course. It allows them to track those who harvest large amounts of shark fins and store them in plastic containers while en route to the strip club.